Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Inception

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Inception – Opening July 16, 2010



This trailer debuted with “Sherlock Holmes” over the weekend, and it easily bested all of the other trailers (except maybe “Iron Man 2,” which comes close) as the first real glimpse of cinema in 2010 since the new year is a mere three days away. This film isn’t coming out until the summer, but this trailer is definitely the most exciting preview I’ve seen in a while, certainly more thrilling than the first teaser trailer from August. The opening music is pulse-pounding and fast-paced, but that’s hardly the best part. The concept here isn’t terribly fleshed out, but what we do see is awesome. Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page watching as half a city curls up and ends up looming over them in the sky above is dazzling, and that’s just the beginning. It’s impossible to discern what’s going on and how it’s happening, but Leo telling Ellen never to recreate from her own mind indicates something truly incredible here, that they’re somehow able to manipulate the world around them and influence what’s happening. DiCaprio is good for action films after last year’s “Body of Lies,” and this seems like a nice opportunity for Page to star in a thriller rather than just quirky comedies (“Juno,” “Whip It”) or ultra-serious dramas (“Hard Candy,” “An American Crime”). The best indicator of greatness is that it’s directed by Christopher Nolan. The trailer advertises his credentials as the director of “The Dark Knight,” which I still liked despite not loving it as much as the rest of the universe. What I think is more impressive and relevant about Nolan’s resume is his direction of “Memento,” which demonstrated that he is able to think about filmmaking in a wholly different way. He was able to look at cinema in a non-linear fashion and construct an incredible film, and this looks like it will be just as fascinating. There’s so much that looks fantastic in this trailer, including all the gravity- and logic-defying moments and a quick shot of Ken Watanabe lying down in a suit and slowly picking up his gun. It’s a toss-up for the most thrilling line in the trailer, which could either be Leo’s declaration that “he has to steal it” (the big idea) or Ellen screaming “wake me up!” over and over. It’s less than 90 seconds, so you just have to watch it for yourself; it’s hard to put into words just how cool it is.